Electric controller apparatus



, by a solenoid indicated at i 2.

Patented Feb. 5, 1946 ELECTRIC CONTROLLER APPARATUS m Breckenridge, Mansfield, om, assignor to Westinghouse Electric Corporation, East Pittsburgh, Pa... a corporation of Pennsylvania ApplicationNovember 5, 1943, Serial No. 509,067

Claims. (c1. soc-st) Y My invention relates to apparatus for sequentially energizing and deenerglzing a plurality of electric circuits, and has for an object to provide improved apparatus of this kind.

A further object of the invention is to provide in a time -controlled switch for sequentially energizing a plurality of electric circuits, overload protection eifective to deenergize the various circuits in response to an overload in one of the circuits.

These and other objects are effected by my invention as will be apparent from the following description and claims taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this application, in which:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view taken I through a controller constructed and arranged in accordance with the invention and controllin a water from the tub and this valve is operated These machines usually wash the fabrics at a relatively low washing speed and centrifuge the same at high speed. This operation is obtained by means of a twospeed gear mechanism which is adJusted to its various speeds by an electromagnet indicated at I 3. The driving motor for the machine is indicated in the drawing at ll.

These various electrical translating devices are sequentially operated by a time-control switch to provide a predetermined sequence of steps in a washing and centrifuging program. For example, the solenoids ill and Ii are first energized to open the valves to admit water to the machine and the motor operates to drive the machine at slow speed to wash the fabrics. At the conclusion of the washing program, the drain valve is actuated by its solenoid I2 to discharge the vitiated washing water from the machine. The inlet valves may again be operated for admitting a body of rinse water to the machine and the speed for rinsing the fabrics. At the conclusion of the rinsing period, the drain valve solenoid I2 is again operated to discharge the vitiated rinse water from the machine and the two-speed mechanism is then adjusted by its magnet iii to operate the machine at high speed. At this time, the rinse water is centrifuged from the fabrics in the machine and, at the conclusion of the centrifuging period, all of the electrical translating devices are deenergized. The washing program is now complete. This program has been described in its simplest form, but it is suflicient to illustrate an application for a controller, constructed and arranged in accordance with my invention.

The various electrical translating devices are sequentially energized and deenergized by a time switch generally of the type shown in the drawing. The cycle is initiated by the operator advancing the timeswitch manually to a starting position and from then on a small motor of the type commonly employed for driving clocks, actuates the various switches to carry the washing program-into eflect.

During the operation of a machine of this kind,-

the motor, which is usually of V4 H. P. capacity in order that it might be operated, from the conventlonal 15 ampere lighting circuits, may become overloaded particularly during the period when the apparatus is accelerated from its low washing speed to its high centrifuging speed. At ,this time, thefabrics in the machine may become badly distributed and the motor will have difiiculty in accelerating the 'machine through its critical speed. In accordance with my invention, overload protection is provided, which will completely deenergize all of the translating devices employed in the apparatus in response to an overload in the circuit serving the driving motor. While the controller that I have disclosed is particularly adaptable for controlling washing apparatus of the type described, it will be understood that it may be readily applied to other forms of apparatus having circuits which are sequentially energized and wherein overload protection for the apparatus is desirable.

My improved controller includes generally a casing i5 which is supported by means of suitable brackets, one of which is shown as it, from a suitable support II which, when the controller is applied to the washing machine described, may define a part of the housing of the washing ma.- chine. A pair of spaced bearings l8 and 19 are carried by the casing l5 and support a shaft 2| motor operates to drive the machine at slow for rotationand axial movement. The shaft 2i may be rotated or moved axially by means of a handle structure 22 and is also rotated at relatively slow speed by means of a motor 23 carried by the casing 15.

An intermediate portion of the shaft 2| is splined, as shown at 24, to a sleeve structure 25, the latter carrying a plurality of cams 26 to 36, inclusive. The splined connection provides for rotation of the cams 26 to 30 at any time that the shaft is rotated, and also permits axial movement of the shaft 2| relative the sleeve structure 25. Axial movement of the sleeve 25 is prevented by a tongue 32 carried by the casing l5 and extending within an annular groove 33 formed in the sleeve structure 25.

The motor 23 is of the slow peed type and drives a pinion 34 which meshes with a gear 35 carried by the shaft 2|. A spring-biased clutch, shown generally at 36, connects the gear 35 and the shaft 2| and defines the driving connection between the gear 35 and the shaft 2|. The clutch 36 also permits manual rotation of the shaft 2| relative the gear 35 at times when the shaft 2| is rotated by the handle 22. The face of the pinion 34 is elongated in order to permit axial movement of the gear 35 relative the pinion 34 when the shaft 2| is moved axially as described hereinafter. The motor 23 operates to rotate the shaft 2| at low speed, for example, one revolution in fifty minutes.

The cams 26 to 30 operate respective switches 37 to 4|, inclusive, which are carried by an insulating wall 42a defining a portion of the casing l5. As shown in Fig. 2, each of the switches 37 to 4| include relatively movable contacts 42 carried by respective springs 43, which also define current conductor and are connected by rivets 63 which is guided within a, bracket 64 and which has a tapered end fitted within a groove 65, which may have sloping sides, as clearly shown in Fig. l. The pin is biased downwardly into the groove by means of a bimetallic member 66, the bias of which is sufilcient to prevent the spring 62 from moving the shaft 2| to the left and thereby forcing the pin 63 upwardly out of the groove 65. However, if the operator manually forces the knob 22 and shaft 2| to the left, this additional force will be sufficient to cause the pin 63 to ride up upon the sloped side walls of the groove and thereby allow the shaft 2| to move to the left sufficiently to open the line switch 5 An electric heater 61 is arranged in heat transfer relation with the bimetal element 66 and is 44 to terminals 45 on the exterior of the casing.

The upper spring 44 may be embossed, as shown at 46, to provide a projection engageable with the cam associated therewith. It will be understood that the peripheries of the cams 25 to 30, inclusive, are suitably formed to provide the desired sequence of operation of the switches 31 to 4 inclusive.

Arranged within the casing l5 and supported by the insulating wall 42a is a line switch 5|, including contacts 52 and 53 which are carried by respective supports 54 and 55. The supports 54 and 55 define current-carrying members and are secured to binding posts 56 and 51. The support 54 is resilient and biases the contact 52 away from the contact 53 at all times. The contact 52 i maintained in engagement with the contact 53 in the axial position of the shaft 2|, as shown in the drawing, by means of a collar 58 carried by the shaft and engageable with an insulating member 59 fixed to the resilient support 54. It will be apparent that when the knob is manually moved to the left from the position shown in the drawing, the collar 58 will be followed by the support 54 and member 59 so that the contacts 52 and 53 will be disengaged. The line switch 5| is connected in series with all of the switches 31 to 4|, inclusive, by means of a conductor 6| extending from the binding post 56 to one side of all of the switches 37 to 4|. Accordingly, when the line switch 5| is open, all of the circuits controlled by the switches 31 to 4|, inclusive, are deenergized.

In accordance with my invention, the shaft 2| is biased atall times to its second axial position, wherein the line switch 5| is open, by means of a compression spring 62. The shaft 2| is retained in the position shown by mean of a pin connected in series, as pointed out hereinafter, with the driving motor l4, so that the motor current traverses the heater 61. When heated, the bimetal element 66 tends to move upwardly and therefore reduces the bias on the pin 63. During normal operation, however, the bimetal element 66 is not heated sufficiently to reduce the bias to such a point where the spring 62 would force the shaft 2| to the left, causing the pin 63 to ride out of the slot 65, However, upon an overload on the motor H, the heater 61 would impart sufficient heat to the bimetal element 66 and so reduce the bias imposed upon the pin 63, that the spring 62 would effect movement of the pin 63 out of the slot 65 and movement of the shaft 2| to the left and therefore open the line switch 5|.

The source of power for the various electrical translating devices which I have shown is defined by line conductors L1 and L1, the former of which is connected to the binding post 51 of the line switch 5| Asset forth heretofore, the binding post 56 of the line switch 5| is connected to one side of all of the switches 31 to 4| b the common conductor 6|. The opposite sides of the switches 31 to 40, inclusive, are connected respectively by conductors 58 to II, inclusive, to terminals of the solenoids In to I3. The opposite terminals of the solenoids In to l3, inclusive, are directly connected to the line conductor L2 as shown.

One side of the switch 4| is connected by means of a conductor 12 to one terminal of the heater 61, the opposite terminal of which is connected by means of a conductor 13 to one side of the motor 4. The opposite side of the motor 4 is directly connected to the line conductor L2. The conductor 12 leading from the switch 4| is connected by means of a conductor 13 to one side of the timer motor 23, the opposite side of which is directly connected to the lineconductor La,

It will be seen from the foregoing description that the heater 61 of the overload mechanism is traversed only by the current of the driving motor I4, and that the line switch 5| being connected in series with all of the switches 31 to 4| controls all of the circuits illustrated, including the circuits of the motor i4 and timer motor 23. Upon occurrence of an overload, the heater 6'! is heated sufliciently to cause the line switch 5| to open, as described heretofore, whereb all of the apparatus is rendered inactive. In order to restore operation of the apparatus, the operator must pull the handle 22 outwardly to the position shown in the drawing, whereupon the pin 63 is again returned to the slot 65 for holdinz the shaft 2| in this axial position wherein the line switch is closed.

The cam 3|! is formed to maintain the switch 4| closed during substantially a complete revolu- 'plete the sequence of switching operations.

tion of the cam 30, as shown in Fig. 2. Accordingly, the motors l4 and 23 operate continuously during the cycle of operations. The remaining cams 26 to 29 are shaped to sequentially operate their respective switches 31 to 40, inclusive, in the desired manner. Operation of the apparatus .is initiated by turning the dial or knob 22 sufficiently to close switch ll and then the timing motor 23 is effective to drive the cams and com- The knob 22 may have indicia thereon to indicate the operation being performed by the controlled apparatus. The cycling of the apparatus may be advanced at any time by manually advancing the cams and the cycle may be terminated during any step by manually pushing the knob 22 inwardly and opening the line switch as described. When operation of the apparatus is terminated by an overload in the motor, as described, manual attention is required to restore operation.

From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that I have provided an improved controller for sequentially energizing a plurality of circuits and having overload provisions built therein which will deenergize the various controlled circuits in response to an overload in one of the circuits. The apparatus is constructed as a self-contained unit which may be readily manufactured and applied to the controlled apparatus with a minimum of wiring connections,

While I have shown my invention in but one form, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptible of various changes and modifications without dc parting from the spirit thereof, and I desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereupon as are specifically set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a controller, the combination of a support, a member movably carried by the support. a pluralityof switch structures actuated by said member, a timing motor for moving said member, a handle for moving the member independently of the timing motor, a line switch carried by the support and connected in series with said switch structures, means connecting the line switch to said handle for operation thereby and means for opening the line switch independently of the handle in response to a predetermined high current conducted by at least a portion of said switch structures.

2. In a controller, the combination of a support, a shaft Journalled therein, a plurality of rotary switch structures actuated by the shaft, a timing motor for rotating the shaft, a handle for rotating the shaft independently of the timing motor, a line switch carried by the support and connected in series with said switch structures, means connecting the line switch to said handle for operation thereby and means for opening the line switch independently of the handle in response to a predetermined high current conducted by at least a portion of said rotary switch structures.

3. In a controller, the combination of a support, a shaft rotatably carried by the support and movable axially therein, a plurality of rotary switching devices carried by the shaft, a timing motor for rotating the shaft, a handle carried by the shaft for rotating the same and for moving th shaft axially between first and second positions, a line switch carried by the support and connected in series with said plurality of switching devices, means carried by the shaft for opening the line switch as the shaft is moved axially from its first to its second position and means responsive to an abnormally high current conducted by at least a portion of the switching devices for actuating the line switch to its open position.

l. In a controller, the combination of a sup-- port, a shaft mounted in the support for rotation and axial movement relative thereto, a plurality of rotary switching devices actuated by the shaft, a timing motor for rotating the shaft, a handle carried by the shaft for rotating the same and for moving the shaft axially between first and second positions, a line switch connected in series with said switching devices, an actuator movable axially with said shaft for operating the line switch. said line switch being closed i said first axial position of the shaft and said actuator effecting the opening of the line switch when the shaftismoved to its second axial position and means responsive to a predetermined high abnormal current conducted by at least a portion of said switching devices for actuating the shaft from its first to its second position.

5. In a controller, the combination of a. support, a shaft carried by the support for rotation and axial movement, a plurality of rotary switching devices actuated by the shaft, a timing motor for rotating the shaft, a handle carried by the shaft for rotating the same and for moving the shaft axially between first and second positions, a line switch connected in series with said switching devices and biased to its open position, means carried by the shaft for maintaining the line switch closed in opposition to the bias thereof when the shaft is in its first axial position, said last-named means permitting opening of the line switch as the shaft is moved axially from its first to its second position, means for biasing the shaft from its first to its second axial positions. means for retaining the shaft in its first axial position and means responsive to an abnormally high current conducted by at least a portion of the switching devices for rendering said retaining means inactive.

6. In a controller, the combination of a casing, a shaft mounted in the casing for rotary and axial movement with respect thereto, said shaft having an annular groove therein, a plurality of cams carried by the shaft, a plurality of switches actuated by the earns, a timing motor for rotating the shaft, a handle fixed to the shaft for rotating the shaft and for moving the shaft axially from a first axial position to a second axial position, a line switch within the casing and connected in series with said switches, said line switch being actuated by axial movement of the shaft, said line switch being closed in the first axial position of the shaft and open in the second axial position thereof, means biasing the shaft to its second axial position, a pin disposed within said annular groove for holding the shaft in its first axial position in opposition to said biasing means, a tem perature-responsive element biasing the pin toward the shaft and a heater arranged adjacent said element for heating the same and for reducing the bias imposed upon the pin, said heater being connected in circuit with one of said switches.

FRANK BRECKENRIDGE. 

